Measuring The Good

If you would like to become a Measuring the Good volunteer, please complete the form and send it to Angela Schlenkhoff-Hus at Volunteering Matters: Angela.Schlenkhoff-Hus@volunteeringmatters.org.uk. Application form for Volunteers

What is Measuring the Good?

Measuring the Good is a skills-based volunteering programme. Skilled volunteers are connected to charities and social enterprises that need help to identify and develop the way they measure and manage their impact.

Measuring the Good is a simple, practical and structured approach to help organisations with a social mission embed a culture of impact management within the organisation and better understand and communicate the impact of their services.

The programme offers a step-by-step framework for a volunteer to support an organisation in their impact measurement by acting as an independent facilitator and applying their management expertise. The Measuring the Good Handbook provides useful tips and resources to guide both the volunteer and the organisation through the programme.

The programme requires 20-22 hours of meeting and “homework” over 3-4 months and is overseen by Measuring the Good staff. A review meeting takes place approximately 6 months later.

It is the CEO or a Senior Manager – supported by staff and a designated trustee – who leads the project and the role of the volunteer is to facilitate discussions and help guide the organisation through the necessary changes to become a more results-driven and evidence-based organisation.

Why take part?

For the organisation, the project stimulates positive cultural changes and the benefits to the organisation can be far reaching as they become better able to demonstrate to key stakeholders the difference they make. Long term, the programme helps improve the organisations’ services and their communication to funders and external audiences. It also provides an incentive to staff, volunteers and beneficiaries as it becomes clearer how their work makes a difference.

For the volunteer, the project provides a structured framework for business professionals to apply their management expertise, developing skills and experience in a different sector and ultimately make a positive contribution to society.Volunteers can work either alone or in pairs and act as independent facilitators and advisors, using their business experience and external perspective to provoke discussion and offer their insight.

For the employer providing volunteers, the project is a learning and development opportunity for staff which will support some of the essential skills required in the business: communication, facilitation, interpersonal, negotiation, diplomacy, motivating others, analysis and strategic thinking. It also provides a model to engage with the community and undertake meaningful CSR.

Impact

The programme has supported over 100 organisations since 2013. The programme has helped them to:

Develop a robust measurement framework

Increase understanding around the difference they are making

Increase confidence when demonstrating their impact

Bid for and secure funding

Increase staff and trustee engagement around impact measurement

Embed a culture of impact measurement within the organisation

Use impact measurement to inform strategy and improve services

Organisation’s feedback

“We felt very well supported throughout the process. Our volunteer very quickly understood our charity and its current challenges and helped us really think about every aspect of what we do and what we could measure to evidence our benefit.”

“This opportunity came along at exactly the right time and has provided us with feedback and data that is invaluable as we develop and grow.”

“Our volunteer has been an absolute star. He is very knowledgeable and knows to ask the right questions at the right time in the right way.”

“Our experience of the process has honestly been faultless and the whole process has been smooth from start to finish, with great responsiveness and support from the team at Volunteering Matters.”

“From a personal perspective the process and our volunteer’s support has been invaluable. It has really helped to focus and sharpen up our work and we now have a solid framework in which to sustain and grow the business.”

Volunteer feedback

“Rewarding, intellectually stimulating and challenging. It tested my interpersonal skills and my business knowledge… and gave me exposure to strategic leadership and non-executive management.”

Get involved!

The programme is designed specifically for small to medium sized organisations, however, we welcome approaches from any organisation (charity, social enterprise, CIC, CIO, IPS, etc.) that exists to fulfil a social mission.

For organisations, please register your interest by emailing Angela Schlenkhoff-Hus at Volunteering Matters: Angela.Schlenkhoff-Hus@volunteeringmatters.org.uk. You will be contacted when we begin our next round of matching.

If you would like to become a Measuring the Good volunteer, please complete the form below and send it to Angela Schlenkhoff-Hus at Volunteering Matters: Angela.Schlenkhoff-Hus@volunteeringmatters.org.uk.

Measuring the Good partners

We are now also partnering with other organisations including funders, volunteer brokers and local infrastructure organisations so that together we can reach a larger number of organisations in the UK.

Our Measuring the Good partners include Volunteering Matters, The Fore, RBS Social & Community Capital, Team London, UJIA, DataKind UK, Small Charities Coalition and the University of York.

If your organisation is interested in becoming a Measuring the Good Partner, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Antonia Orr: antonia@cfefficiency.org.uk.

About Measuring the Good

“Impact measurement is critical to helping organisations to learn, improve and raise more money to deliver social change. The Measuring the Good Initiative delivers clear benefits for both the volunteer and the charity or social enterprise. We know that more support is needed to help organisations with measuring their impact and this is a great example of collaboration between the private and charitable sectors.” Marcus Hulme, Social Impact Director at Big Society Capital

“One of the key hallmarks of a good organisation is that it works hard to understand the difference it makes, learns from mistakes and makes changes as a result. We know how difficult that can be – it’s something we are working hard on ourselves – and any tool that helps charities with that journey towards becoming a learning organisation is to be welcomed”. – Sharon Shea, Director of Funding, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

“What makes “Measuring the Good” so refreshing, so comprehensive, so accessible, is its ability to reveal the intentions, knowledge, and judgement that resides within organizations, while at the same time it unleashes the abilities and energy of an army of savvy volunteer advisors. The guidance in this document may appear exhaustive but its genius lies in its simplicity. These are not performance standards imposed by sector “experts.” Rather Measuring the Good develops bespoke management frameworks derived exclusively from the wisdom and aspirations of the women and men who lead our essential charitable organizations.” – Arthur “Buzz” Schmidt, Founder of GuideStar USA

“Measuring the good is a great initiative that can help organisations to improve their measurement and management of social value.” – Jeremy Nicholls – Chief executive of Social Value UK and Social Value International

“Pressure on charities to demonstrate impact – the creation of real, sustainable and positive change aligned to their mission – will continue to grow. In the current environment donors and commissioners are under pressure to justify all of their spending decisions, not least to the media, in an atmosphere which also raises the expectations of beneficiaries. Measuring the Good is a low cost, objective and reliable way for charities to demonstrate their effectiveness and the Coalition for Efficiency is proud to offer it for public use.” – Tom Levitt – Chair of Coalition for Efficiency and Founder of Sector 4 Focus

“Can a small charity be as effective in demonstrating their impact as a better resourced large charity? Yes, if they follow and adopt the principles and protocols of this excellent handbook and service for smaller charities.” – Paul Palmer CASS director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Cass Business School

Measuring the Good is a joint initiative between Coalition for Efficiency and Volunteering Matters.